- Supported Projects -

Augmenting Astronaut Performance in Space

Walking on Mars with HoloLens

Mars Images mobile app

EarthKit

Timely

MSLICE

DSN

RAPID

Building Immersive Environments

Mars Outreach

CO-2 Virtual Science Data Environment

- How We Work -

Innovative Technologies + Techniques

The Ops Lab brings talented teams together with shared development methods in a collaborative space. We introduced agile development methods to JPL and continue to refine these processes to meet mission demands. We are also pioneering the application of user-centered design practices at JPL to increase product usability and development efficiency. The Ops Lab’s remarkable track record for infusing technologies into missions is enabled through the collocation of mission-critical flight projects with ground-breaking research within a shared space and integrated team. The Ops Lab is managed by the Mission Systems and Operations Division in partnership with the Planning and Execution Systems Section.

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Augmenting Astronaut Performance in Space

Sidekick, the project to put the Microsoft HoloLens onboard the ISS, is designed to empower the crew with assistance when and where they need it. The goal of the Sidekick project is to increase ISS utilization and scientific return by accelerating crew activities.

There are two modes of operation. The first is “Remote Expert Mode”, in which a ground operator can make a special Skype call that enables them to see what the crew sees and draw annotations into the crew’s environment in order to coach them through a task. Second is “Procedure Mode”, a standalone capability in which ISS procedures are augmented with animated holographic illustrations that are displayed on top of the objects that the crew is being asked to interact with. We expect to develop additional applications for Sidekick and deploy additional applications from Microsoft as well.

Mars Images mobile app

The Mars Images mobile app delivers you the latest images from the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers. Immerse yourself in the interactive mosaic view that lets you look around like a rover standing on Mars. Swipe, scroll, and search through the latest images. Check out Opportunity’s movements in her drive maps and view the stereo images in 3D with red-blue glasses. Delve into the history of the Mars missions with an interactive mission map and browse vistas from anywhere the rovers have explored.

EarthKit

Cloud computing is accelerating work in Earth science education and discovery. We have applied new capabilities in online learning frameworks, application containers, distributed data and visualization to Earth science instruction and research. Cloud computing allows us to rise to the challenge of ever-increasing quantities of observational data about the Earth’s climate and structure. Finally, we can use the cloud as a collaboration platform to gain more participation in the discovery process than ever before.

Timely

Timely is a software library to enable developers and scientists to easily visualize and interact with their time-based data. Users can build sophisticated timelines rapidly by providing specifications that can be edited by non-developers. Timely has been used to visualize temporal data for Juno, SMAP and the Mars Science Laboratory.

MSLICE

The Mars Science InterfaCE (MSLICE) application enables scientists and engineers to view images, choose science targets, plan activities, calculate resources and write the command sequences for the Curiosity rover on Mars. Located throughout the world, scientists rely on MSLICE to collaborate and create complex and accurate plans, while maintaining focus on their scientific objectives. MSLICE is developed as a joint JPL and Ames project.

DSN

What will it be like to get data to and from the world’s deep space missions 10 years from now? The Human Interfaces group studies the work of operators at the Deep Space Network and identifies opportunities for improvement of human-machine interfaces. We work at the intersection of user research, human factors, big data, automation, and radio engineering to provide holistic solutions to problems specific to the Deep Space Network.

RAPID

RAPID (Robot Application Programming Interface Delegate Project) is a set of data structures and routines that simplify the process of communication between multiple robots and their control systems using the DDS message framework. RAPID has been utilized on multiple NASA Robots (K10, ATHLETE, etc.), across multiple NASA Centers (AMES, JPL, JSC, etc.).

Building Immersive Environments

Current space tools leverage 2D telemetry to understand a 3D environment. By using commercial technologies such as the VICON and Oculus Rift systems, we can build immersive environments that enable better understanding of distant locations for scientists and explorers.

Mars Outreach

Working with the Mars Outreach team at NASA, we have created a suite of interactive 3D experiences for the public (starting with the Spirit MER rover and extending to the Curiosity MSL rover and beyond). Partnering with Microsoft Studios, we have released the first NASA console game for free on Xbox Live: Mars Rover Landing

CO-2 Virtual Science Data Environment

OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) mission is the first Earth-based satellite to exclusively study the atmospheric behavior of carbon dioxide. The new data provided by the OCO-2 mission provides improved precision of carbon dioxide to further research on locations of high carbon dioxide release, and how carbon dioxide travels in Earth’s atmosphere. The goal of the CO2 Virtual Science Data Environment website is to streamline data acquisition from the OCO-2 mission, as well as other Earth orbiting satellites collecting carbon dioxide products.
https://co2.jpl.nasa.gov/